American Jerry Cans

Bob Moseley (RIP) · #1 24-08-08, 10:34

Hi all - one of my contacts has a pair of WW2 American Jerry Cans. Apparently, apart from the pressed stampings into the metal, there were also some words stencilled onto the side/s. Does anyone have this wording. An image would be brilliant.

Bob

lynx42 · #2 24-08-08, 12:26

G'day Bob,
Probably ATLANTIC MOTOR OIL. Atlantic sold thousands of oil-filled jerry cans after the war. I have one here and it has the grade of oil as well as ATLANTIC on the front below the spout.
Can't get to it at the moment for a photo.
Regards Rick

Tony Smith · #3 24-08-08, 13:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by lynx42

G'day Bob,
Probably ATLANTIC MOTOR OIL. Atlantic sold thousands of oil-filled jerry cans after the war. I have one here and it has the grade of oil as well as ATLANTIC on the front below the spout.
Can't get to it at the moment for a photo.
Regards Rick

Here's one of mine:

alleramilitaria · #4 25-08-08, 06:59

i have about 40 WWII fuel cans (some unissued) and none had anything stenceled on them. there were stampings on the side, bottom, and under the handle depending on who made them and what year.

Lynn Eades · #5 25-08-08, 08:48

This is probably an Australasian thing. Various oil companies must have aquired large numbers of them. Here in N.Z. they are commonly found in various forms, some painted white with " Mobil Oil Company " on them, some as "Shell Oil " in yellow. Some were just stensilled over the O.D.
Interestingly most have the same date pressed into the bottom. (20-5-42) if I remember correctly.

Rob Beale · #6 25-08-08, 09:01

The 20 - 5 - 42 means 20 litre - 5 US gal - 1942

Don't know where I read or heard it, but it makes more sense to me!

Rob

Lynn Eades · #7 25-08-08, 09:22

I've never heard that before. It's good, but are you sure big brother really cared how many litres there were in the tin.
1 US gal. = 0.833 Imp. gal. = 3.79 litres.
The math doesn't fit very well. Isn't there a book about these (G) Jerry cans?

Jeff Gordon · #8 25-08-08, 13:12

The 20 stands for the gauge steel used!
It was a US government requirement that all manufactures stamped the gauge of steel used, the amount it held and the year.
There is some that state 5.25 or 5 1/4.
I was told this by the king of Jerrycans Philip Lindsay of Germany.
He has written many articles on them a good one is in Army Motors 115.
He also has a huge collection.
Yes I don't think they give a rats about Liters then because they still don't want to know about the metric system. And they say we a behind the times.

Hope this helps.
Cheers
Jeff

Tony Smith · #9 25-08-08, 14:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Gordon

The 20 stands for the gauge steel used!
It was a US government requirement that all manufacturers stamped the gauge of steel used, the amount it held and the year.
There is some that state 5.25 or 5 1/4.
I was told this by the king of Jerrycans Philip Lindsay of Germany.
He has written many articles on them a good one is in Army Motors 115.
He also has a huge collection.
Yes I don't think they give a rats about Liters then because they still don't want to know about the metric system. And they say we a behind the times.
Hope this helps.
Cheers
Jeff

That explains it! I was scratching my head about the "Date" stamp.

alleramilitaria · #10 25-08-08, 14:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Gordon

The 20 stands for the gauge steel used!
It was a US government requirement that all manufactures stamped the gauge of steel used, the amount it held and the year.
There is some that state 5.25 or 5 1/4.
I was told this by the king of Jerrycans Philip Lindsay of Germany.
He has written many articles on them a good one is in Army Motors 115.
He also has a huge collection.
Yes I don't think they give a rats about Liters then because they still don't want to know about the metric system. And they say we a behind the times.

Hope this helps.
Cheers
Jeff

you are not behind the times, you are just in your own world

dave

cletrac (RIP) · #11 25-08-08, 16:22

Check out the threads on Jerry cans on the G503 forum. There's more info there than I've seen anywhere else.
http://www.g503.com/forums/viewforum...caabef44718ce5

Lynn Eades · #12 26-08-08, 08:58

1 gram of water = 1cc (cubic centemetre) = 1mil (1 millilitre)
This means a volume of water 1 metre wide, x 1 metre high, x 1 metre deep, or put another way 1 cubic metre of water is equal to 1 (metric) ton. This my friend is such a beautiful system, it just CANNOT be beaten.
Why would you fart around with a system that is 6 1/4 gallons (imp) to the cubic foot
Thankfully the Allies managed to (In or about 1940) Standardise the inch, prior to which, The U.S. and G.B. both ended up with an inch of different lengths.
Dave the rest of the world has seen sense and moved on.... We are happy for big brother to stay and wallow in it.

Rob Beale · #13 26-08-08, 09:42

grew up in the change over era from imperial to metric, and had to learn both systems. That has helped a lot in working with our vehicles which were designed and built to imperial standards.

But I have never been able to sort out pounds mass and pounds force, which are related by a factor of 32 feet per second squared, (the acceleration of gravity).
How much easier it is to have kilograms for mass and Newtons for force related by a factor of 10 m/s/s

the simplicity of the metric system belies its Gallic origins!

It intrigues me when I find metric bearings in a parts list for the LP2 carrier!

enough musings from a soon-to-retire physics teacher: 5 weeks and counting
Rob

Lynn Eades · #14 26-08-08, 12:09

Is that what you do!.... No wonder that went over my head.
Your lucky that all the carriers use 6000 series metric bogie wheel bearings.
This way it only costs you half of a fortune, instead of 3 fortunes.( Infact the bearing at the bottom of the steering column in the Aust carriers is metric, and the Canadian/British carrier equivalent is imperial)

Gallic..... "Sacre Bleu".... you mean the Fr.... Fr..... French! came up with it... Yeah,... I Know,... shame we have to give credit to them.....since they sunk the R.W.

maple_leaf_eh · #15 31-08-08, 16:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob Beale

...

enough musings from a soon-to-retire physics teacher: 5 weeks and counting

Rob

And of world of grateful students will either sign in anguish at your leaving, or cheer in gladness.

As I read on the interweb somewhere, if you are reading this, thank a teacher. If you are reading this in English, thank a veteran.

Tony Smith · #16 01-09-08, 15:23

And if you are reading this in a Computer Class, thank Al Gore for the Internet.

Remember how you used to have to hide a comic or magazine in the fold of a Textbook and hope the Teacher never saw?

Rob Beale · #17 02-09-08, 10:46

I thought it was the US military and a bunch of geeky physicists who came up with the www!

Once you could embarrass a kid about hands hidden under the desk, now its probably playing with a cell phone texting or with an i-pod!

And the computer geeks provide the great unwashed masses with URLs of proxy servers to get around attempts to block access to bebo etc.

At least my students all know something of NZ military history...a great way to fill in classes when interest flags or plans are unworkable!

Rob

sth65pac · #18 02-09-08, 13:50

My Gerry can says: Net IMP 4 Gals. In very light blue 1/2" stencil. Its a Rudy 20-5-45. It also says the MIL-L-type oil. Mil-L- whatever it is.. very hard to read at 10:00pm.

I bought it at the Tip for $3!

Bob, you may be better able to see what it says on the can if you run some water over it. Degrease it first, then run the hose gently over it, with jusst a smooth film... the stencil comes up quite clear..

I object to the Banter.. KEEP on the topic and help the man out!

Ian